Warm Welcome to the Dojo

I confess I was quite nervous about entering the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo for the first time, although getting the skinny from Bryn ahead of time and walking in with him made it a lot easier.  I was greeted very graciously by Yanagihara Sensei, who will be a sewanin, or sort of a junior drill instructor, for the Senshusei this year.  I believe he is an American of Japanese descent; at any rate, his English is perfect.


After having read so much about the various characters associated with Yoshinkan Aikido, it really was awe inspiring to view a dogi worn by Shioda Gozo Kancho (displayed in a glass case,) along with many photographs of himself and also his son, the current Kancho Shioda Yasuhisa, with various dignitaries.  I was further astonished to learn that I will be training alongside Shioda Yasuhisa's son, who will also be a Senshusei this year.

After filling out the necessary paperwork, I joined my first regular class at Honbu before the Senshusei training begins on June 1.  Yanagihara Sensei (who I think is about 25) led this class, and I was immediately struck by the perfection of his posture.  Everyone was extremely kind toward me, and more than one fellow student took the opportunity to converse with me in English.  The class was for beginners, and it was a very nice way to gently ease myself into the process.  I could not be more pleased with the way things have proceeded thus far.